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PhotoS: S. R. Raghunathan

For serenity and celebration: Sri Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam, Triplicane.

“The very first function at the mandapam when it was opened two years ago, was a sashtiabdapoorthi, and it has augured well. Several religious events have been held on this piece of land before the kalyana mandapam was built. It even housed a goshala once upon a time. So in the case of marriages where matching of horoscopes becomes secondary, the parties feel that if conducted at this venue the couple will be blessed,” says Vadlamudi Dilip Kumar, who heads the mandapam. In fact, he is the engineer who constructed it. “As I’m always busy with the building activities of the math in Bangalore, Bellary, and in Mantralayam [where a 100-room Brindavan Gardens to accommodate visiting devotees has just been completed] it’s my wife Sumana who actually manages matters at this end,” he says as he takes you on a tour of the floors.

With a centrally air conditioned marriage hall that has a seating capacity of 600 and another where 300 people can dine at a time, eight large rooms with bath attached, and a dormitory, the place looks ideal for big weddings. The kitchen and store are on the ground floor. Food is cooked and placed on the lift in the kitchen and sent up directly to the dining area. Thoughtfully planned, the exit and entrance for the bride and the groom is directly from the room behind the wedding stage.

On other days the huge hall also doubles up as a dhyana mandapam for devotees. But I just saw a few of them sitting near the sannidhi of the math, I intervene. “We do have a dhyana mandapam on the first floor of the math itself. Somehow people prefer the sannidhi, and the mandapam also serves as an alternative at times,” is the reply. The hall is available for official conferences too.

The Raghavendra math in Triplicane grew in stature under the guidance of the 38th Pontiff Sujayeendra Tirtha. (Sri Raghavendra was the 17th.) “The main agenda of the math is to open its doors to all those who wish to perform religious rites for their ancestors. Money is of little consequence here,” Sujayeendra would say. Now under the 39th pontiff Sushameendra Tirtha, who inaugurated the mandapam, the service-oriented programmes are gaining stronger foothold. A math hand takes me to the dining area at the back of the sannidhi where about 30 people are being served lunch. Neglected elders in the vicinity come here with the hope of a free lunch. And the math never sends them away disappointed.

It’s Noon — almost closing time at the math, but flower vendors are still busy at the gate. I can’t help asking how actor Rajinikanth, a regular at the math, manages to visit it often without drawing attention. “He comes in very early in the mornings, offers his prayer and leaves in a jiffy,” the math’s spokesperson informs.

Be it the mandapam or the math, the best aspect is that they are open to all, economic status notwithstanding. “Of course, we need money to maintain and run the mandapam, yet deserving cases are dealt with a little lenience,” assures Dilip.

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